


Panic

by yalejosie



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, Space Dad Shiro (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-14 12:15:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18476035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yalejosie/pseuds/yalejosie
Summary: After a harsh battle, Pidge is in a panic she can't explain. Thankfully, Shiro is here to help.(Not Shidge)





	Panic

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah I wrote this for the lovely thatglitterygeek on tumblr! She was the one who had the idea for this fic, I just wrote it out for her! Also for my peeps who are reading this from Atlas Adventures, I'm so so sorry there havent been new chapters for like a month! (sweats) School has been kicking my butt, the AP test waits for no one! I'll try my best to get another chapter up ASAP!
> 
> Ps this is NOT SHIDGE

“Great job Paladins!”

Coran’s cheery voice was the first thing to greet the paladins after a hard battle on a volcano planet. There had been multiple close shaves in the lions, and Voltron had nearly disbanded from the amount of hits it took. Luckily, everyone had gotten out uninjured, and there was cheerful chit chat going over the comms. 

Usually, Pidge would comment on Lance and Keith’s bickering or just laugh with Hunk after a battle this hard. But for some reason, the adrenaline she always felt while piloting just wasn’t fading. If anything, Pidge’s heart just started beating faster as she got closer to the castle. Pidge tried to control her breathing, but her breaths came out in great gasps. It was a miracle no one noticed. 

As soon as she made it to the hangar, she gave a small thanks to Green and dashed out of her lion into the Castle. Pidge couldn’t deal with Lance’s questions or Hunk’s overbearing mother hen tendencies. She just needed to be alone. She often left right after a battle, so most of the paladins didn’t notice her absence. Except one.  
\-------------------------------------------------

Shiro had wanted to ask if Pidge was okay after hearing her unusual breathing over the comms. However, he knew that she wouldn’t take kindly to his inquiries. Pidge often got teased for being the youngest of the paladins, and Shiro knew that if he asked that teasing would ensue. So he planned to wait to talk to her back at the Castle. As soon as Shiro exited his lion, he headed for Green, only to find that Pidge had already left. With a sigh, Shiro set out down a hallway to find her.  
\-------------------------------------------

Pidge had found a small out of the way room, and dragged her tech stuff there. She hacked the door so no one could enter, and settled herself with a big fluffy blanket and a small machine she had been tinkering with. 

Pidge pulled up the machine’s logistics on her pad and started typing some new code. She still felt adrenaline rushing through her, but tried to ignore it. However, the cold panic she had been feeling started to grow hot, blossoming out from her pounding heart to the tips of her fingers. Soon, her hands were shaking so bad she could barely move them, let alone type with them. 

Pidge whooshed the unfinished code away with an ungainly flick of her fingers, and curled into her blanket further, her breathing becoming more and more ragged. Pidge felt like she was about to drown in an icy hot stream of helplessness when she heard a voice outside her door.  
\-----------------------------------------------

“Pidge, are you in there?”

Shiro had searched all over the castle for Pidge. Unfortunately for him, she was very stealthy. It was a great asset on missions, but not so great when you wanted to find her. 

Luckily, Shiro had found a small trail of loose bolts laying on the floor. Pidge really must have been going through something bad to just leave spare parts around like that. He followed the trail to a room that lay at the far edge of the castle, away from the residential area the paladins occupied. 

As soon as Shiro had made it to the door, he could hear small cries. Oh god, Pidge. He had never heard her cry like this, not since she had talked to him about her brother and father. 

Shiro couldn’t unlock the door (Pidge had probably hacked it) and had the gut instinct to just cut with his Galra arm. But Shiro knew that Pidge wouldn’t appreciate the breach of privacy, and Coran would be very displeased about the damage of the Castle. 

Still, Shiro knew Pidge needed someone, and for once, Shiro seemed like the perfect man for the job.

“Pidge, it’s Shiro. I know you’re hurting right now, and I want to help. Could you let me in?”

Shiro could hear the gentle clicks of a tablet keyboard, and then the door opened with a hiss. He carefully stepped into the dark room ahead, and saw Pidge on the floor wrapped in a blanket. She looked more scared than Shiro had ever seen her. 

Despite his great urge to envelop her in a gigantic hug, Shiro wisely decided to just gently sit down next to her. A hug wasn’t needed here. What Pidge needed was for someone to talk her through her panic.

“Hey Pidge, I’m right here to help, okay? Just listen to me, and I promise I will help you through this.”

Pidge turned her head towards Shiro. Her eyes were still brimming with tears, but she seemed calm enough to be able to listen to him. Good.

“Pidge, I need you to just breathe. I know it’s hard right now, so just follow me”

Shiro turned towards her and showed her what to do. In for 4, hold for 8, out for 4. Repeat. Pidge followed Shiro, and her breaths steadily evened out. She still looked scared, but so much better than she had only minutes ago. After a while, Shiro scooted a bit closer and decided to talk to her. 

\----------------------------------------------

“Are you feeling a bit better?”

Pidge sighed, and replied, “Yeah. Thanks a lot.”

“Anytime Pidge. You don’t have to answer, but what happened?”

“I… I don’t know. I was just piloting and felt adrenaline rushing through me, even after the battle. I felt so scared, I didn’t know what to do. So I tried to calm myself down, but you can tell how that worked out.”

Shiro sighed sadly and started to rub Pidge's back reassuringly. 

“It’s okay Pidge, it was bound to happen sometime.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’re in the middle of this big intergalactic war. I’m surprised the stress hasn’t gotten to you like this before”. Then, a very concerned look entered Shiro’s face. “Has it?”

“No, never.”

Shiro sighed in relief. “Okay. Pidge, you’re doing a great job ”

“Thanks. You too.” Pidge replied gratefully.

“Shiro. How, how did you know about the breathing?”

“I've had a lot of experience.”

So much flooded Pidge all at once. Shiro was implying that he had gone through something like this alone.This whole situation had been bad enough, but on the other side of it, being alone would’ve been a million times worse. 

Pidge felt a flood of protectiveness surge through her. She wished she could protect Shiro from his own head. For now, though, Pidge would just accept help dealing with her own. But she mentally catalogued the info for use at a later date. 

“How about we go to the rec room for a movie?” Shiro suggested kindly. 

Pidge nodded gratefully. Her plans for a long night of coding were out the window, because even though she could breath without feeling like she was drowning, Pidge’s hands still shook and her heart still raced at a rate far faster than normal.

“Is it okay if I pick you up?”

“Yeah.”

Shiro lifted Pidge up gently and held her to his chest, and then left the room.

\----------------------------------------------------

As soon as they got to the rec room, Shiro deposited Pidge onto the couch and set up the movie. He scrolled through what the younger paladins had dubbed “Pidge’s Box of Illegal Movies” and found a nature documentary. He loaded it up, and sat down on the couch next to Pidge.

“Hey Shiro, can we make a deal?” Pidge asked earnestly.

Shiro gave a soft smile. “What kind of deal?”

“Whenever you or I are dealing with stuff like this, we can just hang out on the couch together, no judgement?”

“Of course, Pidge. I’m always there, no questions asked.”

“That goes for you too. If this is happening to you, come to me, Shiro. No one should go through panic alone.” 

Shiro felt great fondness for Pidge fill his chest up like hot honey. Not many people saw it, but Pidge could be exceptionally warm hearted when she wanted to be. This was one of those times.

“Alright Pidge, I promise.”

“Okay.”

With that, Pidge burrowed her way under Shiro’s arm and curled up against him, blanket still wrapped around her. With both the soothing sound of the documentary narrator and the warmth of the blanket and Shiro, it didn’t take long for Pidge to fall asleep. 

As soon as Pidge was asleep, Shiro's first instinct was to pick her up and bring her to bed, since he really needed to go make sure everyone else was asleep. 

Yet, something inside Shiro told him to stay. Moving would only wake Pidge up, and she needed the sleep. They all did. So Shiro decided instead to softly stroke Pidge as she slept, and watch a herd of gazelle migrate across an African plain. Before he knew it, Shiro was fast asleep as well.


End file.
